A key focus of this blog is the history of Jacksons in Ireland. I am specially curious about those who may be related to Sir Thomas Jackson (1841-1915). His life is key to understanding how a dozen or so young men, sons of Irish tenant farmers, shaped the future of international banking in the Far East in the late 1800s. I also use this blog as a place for playful posts: book and restaurant reviews, recipes, and events in my life. WARNING: Note the date of each post. Some may be outdated.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

This morning, I told my friend Kinga what I had cooked last
night with the Sisters at Roberts Creek Cohousing, and she said that she would like to make the same thing for supper tonight. Others
at the dinner had also asked for the recipes. Thankfully I had snapped
some pictures on my phone. The recipe is at the bottom of this post. PS I have been deep into research and other writing lately - not blogging. I will return!

This is what the yams look like after
they have been pre-baked and assembled in pie plates. They need to be dry
enough so there is no risk of the dreaded soggy bottom

Once the quiche is cooked,, it looks like this. Slightly browned on top, and no longer runny when you stab the middle with a knife.

I posted my Pepper
salad recipe about five years ago, and I still do it this way.

Christine Wright and I invented this approach to spuds a
couple of years ago when we were cooking together at Gilford Castle. We
parboiled some Yukon Golds (or their locally available equivalent), then put them in an oven-proof pan, sliced the tops
slightly (about ½” deep or a bit more for the larger potatoes), and then coated
them with olive oil. Then we baked them at about 375 o F until they
were nicely browned. Because Christine is (amongst many things) a seamstress, we decided
to call them Pintuck Potatoes. For
those who are not seamstresses, this
is what pintucks look like.

We also feast with our eyes. Our dinners are always enhanced by the floral
arrangements done by Angela. Free range flowers from
Cohousing (snipped from where they won’t be missed).

Our dinners are blessed by enthusiastic diners.

For dessert, Stacia made an amazing peach-rhubarb
cake, served with whipped cream. I apologize that the focus in this photo is a
little off. It may be because I had enjoyed a fresh lavender-scented St. Germaine & gin
cocktail beforehand. You can blame Shake: A New Perspective on Cocktails which Sabrina gave me a copy of, combined with the fact of fresh lavender being available at Vanessa's.

Sharon’s Yam Quiche Recipe:

3X = 18 slices

1X

Ingredients

6

1 ½ - 2

yams sliced VERY thin (a bit thicker than chips)

1 T

1 tsp

olive oil to toss slices

1 lb

5 oz

baby spinach (and fresh basil?)

3 c

1 c

brown mushrooms

4 c

1 1/3 c

half milk/half whipping cream (don’t think: diet)

1 tsp

¼ tsp

teaspoon kosher salt

to taste

¼ tsp

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12

4

large eggs

6 oz

2 oz

feta cheese, crumbled

6T

2 T

Parmesan to top (or less)

Preparation:

1.Preheat
the oven to 350°, then peel and slice the yams. Toss them in a small amount of olive
oil, and then lay them out on a sheet of parchment on a cooking sheet. Bake for
20 minutes. Don’t let them brown, but they need to lose some moisture or else
your pie will risk having a soggy bottom (my first trial of doing it this way for
my family suffered that fate).

2.After
the yam slices have baked, turn heat up to 375° - and then do the next steps
while the oven is heating.

3.Wilt
spinach (pan or microwave)

4.Sauté
mushrooms on high heat in a bit of oil till they stop squeaking and start to
release moisture.

5.Arrange
yam slices in pie plates so the sides and bottom of the pie plate are well covered.
NOTE: pie plates with slightly higher sides work best. Shallow ones are just
too – well, shallow.

6.Whisk
eggs until the yolks and whites are well blended, and then whisk them into the milk/cream,
salt & pepper mixture.

7.Arrange
the wilted spinach on top of the pre-cooked yams; add mushrooms on top of the
spinach, and feta on top of that.

8.Pour
egg mixture over mushrooms & spinach & feta. The liquid should reach
the top of the yam crust.

About Me

Author And Researcher. I am currently writing a book on the life of Sir Thomas Jackson. He was the son of tenant farmers, born just before the Famine in South Armagh, who was knighted because he not only lead HSBC into the 20th Century, but was also responsible for assisting with the funding of much of the economic development in China & Japan in the late 1800s. My first published book was "Some Become Flowers: Living with Dying at Home".